Tree at Tecumseh Middle School to be carved into likeness of Shawnee warrior Tecumseh

Tuesday

Oct 2, 2012 at 4:00 PM

By David FrownfelderDaily Telegram Staff Writer

TECUMSEH — By the end of the Appleumpkin Festival on Oct. 13 and 14, the former sycamore tree in front of Tecumseh Middle School will be a likeness of the town’s namesake, Shawnee warrior and leader Tecumseh.

That is the hope of middle school principal Rick Hilderley, who described the 10- to 12-foot tree stump as looking like a Chia Pet. The tree was cut down in May and Hilderley had the idea of the addition to the city of Tecumseh.

“With all of the community art around here, you don’t really see any likeness of our namesake,” he said.

The result of Hilderley’s efforts will be a Michigan chain-saw carver fashioning the stump into a likeness of Tecumseh.

He received permission from Superintendent Mike McAran and began searching for help. That led him to the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Arizona, which includes many ancestors of Tecumseh. After explaining his idea to Terry Reed, a member of the tribe’s executive committee, Hilderley waited for their answer.

In July he was told the committee had approved the idea with several stipulations. The likeness had to be a regal portrayal, not the stereotype cigar store Indian, and it had to face east. That was fortunate, Hilderley said, because the tree was on the east side of the building.

In addition, Abel “Cool Wind Bear” Cooper from the Leh-Nah-Weh Native American Organization told Hilderley he noticed the tree also leaned slightly to the southeast, which was another fortunate circumstance. Once completed, the carving will face in the direction of some Indian burial mounds located near the Tecumseh Community Center.

Hilderley’s next step was to find someone to do the carving. He found Emil Szkipala of Chesterfield Township, who will use a chain saw and chisels to carve the likeness of the Shawnee warrior. Szkipala will begin carving at 9 a.m. Oct. 12 and plans to be finished sometime Sunday.

“People coming to Appleumpkin can wander over to watch this guy work,” Hilderley said.

Cooper is putting together an honoring ceremony to start the carving. He is also organizing an educational forum for TMS students on Oct. 12. Several chiefs of the Shawnee tribes across the country have been invited to attend.

“This is a great idea as long as it is done educationally for the students,” Cooper said. “We will sing and dance and talk about Tecumseh, his life and what he stood for and where we are today.”

While no true likeness of the Shawnee warrior is known to exist, a painting in southern Illinois was found to be a close approximation to Tecumseh. The Absentee Shawnee Tribe approved the likeness and Szkipala will use it as his model, Hilderley said.

Szkipala, who emigrated from his native Romania in 1991, is a carpenter and woodcarver, creating sculptures from existing tree stumps. His specialty is building and restoring wood-carved altars, fireplace mantels and other wood art and items.

Known as the Chainsaw Man of Michigan, Szkipala is also known for his chain-saw carving of a wooden 6-foot tall Stanley Cup. Examples of his work can be found on his website, www.treecarvings.com.

“We wanted it to be as good as you are going to get,” Hilderley said. “We just wanted to make sure we were sensitive to Native Americans and have an honored presentation.”

Szkipala quoted a price of $1,800, Hilderley said. It will be paid through the school’s activities fund. He said he has applied for grants that were suggested by Leh-Nah-Weh and he expects the school to be fully reimbursed.

The school’s Builder’s Club also is helping with some costs, Hilderley said.

As for the former tree, Hilderley said it was getting to the point of losing branches, which were big enough to potentially cause damage or injury. He noted the timing of the project, as this year marks the bicentennial observance of the start of the War of 1812.

Fighting on the side of the British, Tecumseh, who had a strong reputation as a warrior and a leader, had been trying for years to form a confederacy of Native American tribes to counter the expansion of the United States. That dream ended Oct. 5, 1813, when Tecumseh was killed in the Battle of the Thames in what is now southern Ontario.

Tecumseh, settled May 21, 1824, was the first settlement in Lenawee County. It was named after the Shawnee warrior, as Musgrove Evans and Gen. Joseph Brown expressed admiration for Tecumseh’s efforts to unite his people.